Teller wrote back a very thoughtful and interesting reply, which included this:"Have heroes outside of magic. Mine are Hitchcock, Poe, Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Bach. You're welcome to borrow them, but you must learn to love them yourself for your own reasons. Then they'll push you in the right direction."

I'll leave you to decide for yourself how those particular heroes shape Teller's magic and persona. What I would ask you to consider is this: Do you have heroes outside of Haunting and /or Horror?

Why? Maybe, in part, because if all your heroes are in the same "game" you want to play, you'll have a hard time finding a unique voice. The letter from Teller later says, " You will never be the first Brian Allen Brushwood of magic if you want to be Penn & Teller. But if you want to be, say, the Salvador Dali of magic, we'll THERE'S an opening."

If you look through my blogs, there are some common threads. I hope always to bring solid design ideas to whomever stumbles across this. I also hope to point out inspiration that comes from somewhere a bit off the beaten path.

Teller lists Bach among his heroes. It's the only one on his list who is not, as far as I can tell, a story teller. On the other hand, maybe he was.

Do you have heroes from outside of haunting and horror which inform your haunting? Do you admire a science (or science fiction) writer? Maybe a painter like Monet, Dali, or Zdzisław Beksiński? Teller advises we cultivate heroes outside of our game and " they'll push you in the right direction."

You probably DO already admire people from other arts and disciplines, so do you let them "push you in the right direction"?

I'd love to hear who your heroes are and how they have influenced your haunting!